- BMW's M division unveils "the world's fastest pickup" - on April 1.
- BMW says "comprehensive testing" of the M3 Pickup was "on the Nürburgring Nordschleife."
- Sadly, BMW admits that the truck "will not be heading for the golf course or series development, but will retain its status as an exclusive one-off."
MUNICH, Germany — BMW's M division has unveiled what it calls "the world's fastest pickup" — on April 1.
The compact, targa-top M3 Pickup is for real. It's just not headed for production.
Spy shots were snapped in recent weeks of the pickup undergoing development shakedown. BMW said it conducted "comprehensive testing...under strictest secrecy" on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife or North Loop.
And then it gave the gag away, emphasizing the pickup's "global unveiling on 1 April 2011."
The official tongue-in-cheek press release noted with a straight face that the V8-powered M3 Pickup achieved a top speed of 186 mph on the Nordschleife and features "fine-tuned aerodynamics and a tailored suspension setup."
The press release adds that the pickup bed is clad in high-grade structured aluminum sheeting and "provides the biggest cargo capacity ever offered on a BMW M vehicle" — sufficient capacity to carry "up to 20 standard 46-inch golf bags." As the final accolade, the automaker notes that the pickup is "the first BMW M3 variant in the 25-year-plus history of this model range to come with a trailer tow hitch."
The payoff pitch comes at the end of the statement, when BMW finally admits that the M3 Pickup "will not be heading for the golf course or series development, but will retain its status as an exclusive one-off."
The truck's final destiny: "It is earmarked for use as a workshop transport vehicle for BMW M GmbH."
Inside Line says: Makes as much sense as a Rabbit pickup — or a Cadillac station wagon. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
julianb says:
03:53 PM, 04/02/2011
Good One BMW...
superm says:
08:44 AM, 04/02/2011
Have had 2 rabbit pickups in the distant past. Getting 43 MPG empty and 36 w/1100 lbs in the back is not a Bad Thing. Of course acceleration was measured with a sun dial and if you crashed into anything bigger than a bicycle you were pretty much dead.
isend2c says:
07:10 PM, 04/01/2011
This makes sense for them to have, so those douches who said a auto maker needs a truck to be a full line can't say BMW isn't but ssyonyang is.
mce63 says:
06:44 PM, 04/01/2011
I don't care about how many golf bags it will hold. I want to know how many empty beer cans it will hold before they start blowing out at 186.
jscion says:
02:55 PM, 04/01/2011
BMW must have alot of free time on its hands....time it should be spending on bringing a REAL full line of 1-Series cars to the U.S.
ford91 says:
02:48 PM, 04/01/2011
Looks like it would be a very cool car.
barmjuan says:
02:21 PM, 04/01/2011
Brilliant, I think. Bmw had us all scratching our heads when the pics first surfaced, then it became a very popular April fools joke, and all in all nothing was wasted since they will be using the M3 as a pick up for "workshop transport"...many thanks to BMW for adding a bit of levity to my day!
darknick says:
11:56 AM, 04/01/2011
@ralphhightower: It's a prank by BMW, not by InsideLine...
ddark13 says:
11:21 AM, 04/01/2011
bmw M3 pickup: appealing the exclusive redneck deuche niche
bkj216 says:
10:57 AM, 04/01/2011
So it IS an April Fools, albiet a very elaborate, expensive, and time-consuming (for BMW atleast).